In front of the castle, near the well, Simons father, mother and other people were gathered. Simon's father and other two people carried ropes along with them. They were releasing rope inside the well to get down. An aged villager suddenly popped up.
" Don’t do anything stupid ... Till now nobody has returned, who entered the well..." The aged villager warned.
Simon's father looked at him, pondered over and ignored him. He continued releasing the rope in the well. As everybody ignored, the aged person left.
They dangled the rope in and Simon's father started to enter in the well with holding it. One end of the rope was in the well and the people standing outside tightly held the other end. They held it firmly and were slowly releasing it.
The first rope ended. Therefore they tied the other one and continued releasing. Slowly the second one also ended and subsequently third, fourth, fifth ropes also ended. They did not have any more ropes to tie.
While releasing the rope inside, suddenly with a jerk, the stretch of the rope vanished. The people holding rope fell behind on their back. They got up; looked at each other with a glimpse of fear in their eyes.
" What's wrong?"
" Did it break?"
One of them shook the rope but there was no response.
Gradually people gathered around the well. Few of them were shaking the rope, still in anticipation that there will be some response from inside, while some of the others were leaning in. There was no sign of life in there, just a black hole. They were in dilemma, what to do next.
Simon's mother broke down, as she must have understood the reality, looking at the gloom faces of the people gathered around. She started wailing. Ladies gathered around her and were trying to console her.
Due to Simon's and his fathers demise, the environment in the village was sad. They neither got their bodies nor did they have a slightest hope to get them. As a symbol of Simon’s and his father's bodies, people kept two rocks in front of their house. People were gathered around those two rocks, which were partially covered with white cloths. The short rock - the boy Simon was laid adjacent to the longer one - the father. Simon's Mother’s sobbing was choked down to breathless whimpering.
Four persons from the crowd came forward, held up two rocks carefully on their shoulders as if holding the dead bodies. As they were carrying the rocks, the lady, boy's mother, got up and started crying again. Other women held and tried to soothe her.
Four persons, with the rocks on their shoulders, headed for the woods. Crying mother and the crowd followed them. Behind all of them, Gibson joined the crowd and followed them with heavy heart.
Continued ...
Original Novel By – Sunil Doiphode
English Version By – Mugdha Apte
The mother might have had a very caustic moments living alone for the rest of her life. This is highly emotional.
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